Italians say no to grotesque statement Fabio Scarpello, Jakarta An Italian minister has recently been wearing a T-shirt with the stenciled designs of the infamous caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. His justification, "to oppose the psychological blackmail of the Islamic world" is -- to say the least -- nonsensical. His action has spawned more violence and heightened the tensions in an already incendiary situation.
To most Italians -- and especially those who live abroad -- it has also brought shame, apprehension and anger. As news trickled in, the first reaction for many of us in the Italian community was to keep a low profile, but then pride kicked in and the desire to shout that "we are not like that" took over. A frantic round of calls and e-mails between fellow Italians in Indonesia and other Muslim countries confirmed that shame, apprehension and anger -- as well as pride -- were shared feelings. We also shared the wish to take a stand and make a statement. Apologies to our Muslim friends are in order. Roberto Calderoli -- the Italian minister for institutional reforms, guilty of the senseless act -- was after all elected in a democratic election and we, as a people, have to take responsibility for our leaders when they do not take responsibility for their actions. Fortunately, his opinion and that of his party, the rather xenophobic Northern League, are representative of a tiny minority of Italians. It is a sad fact that bigots and political opportunists are to be found in every country; and within every ideology or religion. We have ours. However, it is also a fact that Italians are largely tolerant, friendly and peaceful people. This point was reinforced by the deluge of condemnations voiced by virtually every single Italian politician, academic and columnist in most of the country's media. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has for once united the country in calling for Calderoli's resignation, which followed soon after (Saturday evening). Berlusconi also stated that "the Italian government has a clear understanding that one's freedom can extend as far as it does not impinge upon others' freedom". He added that acts, such as the one by Calderoli, had clearly crossed the line. His message was reinforced by the President of the Republic of Italy, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, who said that "Italy has a well-defined political line that mirrors the dominant feeling of the Italian people and which is based on respect for every religious creed." Furthermore, last Saturday Gianfranco Fini, the Italian foreign minister, during a visit to a mosque in Rome -- where the ambassadors of most Muslim countries gathered -- with a clear reference to Calderoli's act, said that "those who do not know the others and feel superior are wrong". Neither Berlusconi's, Ciampi's nor Fini's sincere words can ease the pain of the relatives of the 11 people who died during Friday's protest outside the Italian consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Yet, they are representatives of Italy, its multi-faceted culture, its tolerant traditions and its present political position in an era too often defined by a "clash of civilizations". Freedom of religion is unequivocally guaranteed by the Italian Constitution. Article 8 says that "every religion is equal before the law". Furthermore, summarizing article 19, in Italy "everybody has the right to profess his/her own religion freely, individually or collectively". Proselytizing -- prohibited in Indonesia -- is allowed for all religions in Italy. Problems between the Catholic majority and the Muslim minority exist, and it would be disingenuous to deny it. Yet issues are contained and debated within the public sphere. In Italy, religiously motivated attacks are almost unheard of. There are over one million Muslims currently living in Italy, which is just under 2 percent of the total population. Although most of them are immigrants from Morocco, Albania, Tunisia, Senegal and Egypt, there are also around 30,000 Italian-born converts. Due to the continuous influx of immigrants and the combination of a declining birth rate among native Italians and a high birth rate among Muslims, some projections have concluded that there will be five million Muslims living in Italy by 2010. At the moment there are fewer than 300 Islamic places of worship in Italy. The first mosque was officially opened in Catania (Sicily) in 1980. Italy also has west Europe's largest mosque, which was opened in Monte Antenne, in Rome in 1995. The current influx of Muslims is not without historical precedent in Italy. Much of the southern mainland of Italy and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia were part of the Ottoman Empire off and on until the 11th century. A stroll through some of Palermo, Sicily's markets will quickly reveal the enduring Arab influence from centuries past. The Italian government has always paid particular attention to Islamic nations on the Mediterranean. Good relations with them, as well as with every country in the Middle East, has long been a cornerstone of Italian foreign policy. Italy has also maintained a balanced approach in regard to the Palestine issue throughout the years. Following the 2004 tsunami, relations between Indonesia and Italy have also grown stronger. Religious differences have not hampered a good working relationship between Italian experts and the Acehnese. Representatives from the two governments have just agreed on a string of projects worth US$5 million. The projects are part of a larger $30 million debt swap facility granted by Rome to further help in the reconstruction of the battered province. Drawings of the tsunami by Acehnese children are now on exhibit in Rome. As stated by Indonesian Ambassador to Italy Susanto Sutoyo, the exhibit was organized to show the children's appreciation for Italy's help in the aftermath of the disaster. The Italian Institute of Culture in Jakarta has also nurtured cultural ties between the two countries. In the last few years, hundreds of Indonesian students have been sent to Italy on grants provided by the Italian government. Their experience, as documented by The Jakarta Post recently, has largely been an unforgettable one. Not a single student reported any act of intolerance. The one thousand of us, who now call Indonesia home, appreciate the country and people's tolerance: the same tolerance displayed in the moderate protests in recent weeks as a response to the publication of the caricatures of the Prophet. The writer is an Italian national residing in Indonesia. He can be contacted at [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20060223.F01&irec=1 Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
